1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a method and system for imroving the wheel slip system of locomotives.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Loss of adhesion of locomotive wheels in contact with the rails on which they ride can be due to a number of causes, such as an accumulation of oil on the tracks, frosty conditions, etc. When traction conditions decrease, more power and energy are necessary to cope with the rail conditions. Sand has been the most commonly used aid for bad or slippery rail conditions; however, the use of sand is both expensive and inconvenient. Sand must be dried and kept dry for handling. Expensive facilities for sand must be built and maintained. More importantly, the use of sand is detrimental to the rails and wheels of the locomotives due to abrasion. Sand also results in fouling of the rail ballast in those areas where it is excessively used.
Air, liquids, molten glass, oil and steam have been tried for cleaning of rails to improve the adhesion of rails to the contact surface of the rail. Dean et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,957, discloses reducing the rail-to-wheel resistance by passing an electrical current through a plurality of rail- to-wheel contact zones. Bleil, U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,691 discloses a process for cleaning the rails and improving the traction of a locomotive wheel on a railroad rail by heating a normally solid, friable, abrasive composition to the molten state and depositing it as a coating on the wheel contacting surface of the rail. Bevin, U.S. Pat. No. 440,690 teaches a means of removing sand from the rails immediately after the drivers of the locomotive have passed over the sand by providing an air blast at the rear of the drivers which blows air under pressure against the rails. Floyd, U.S. Pat. No. 77,602 teaches ejecting a jet of steam upon the rails by means of a nozzle directly in front of the wheels of the locomotive to remove snow, ice, oil, grease or other similar substances which interfere with the grip of the wheels on the surface of the rails. Chisholm, U.S. Pat. No. 490,269 teaches removing dust and debris from the surface of the rails of an electric road by directing air upon the track directly in front of the wheels of the moving car. Shires, U.S. Pat. No. 893,878 teaches delivering heated air under pressure to the rails in front of the forward wheels of the locomotive to remove ice, sand, snow or other articles from the rails. Foster, U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,719 teaches delivering high pressure air onto the top of the rail surface in such a way as to clean the surface of snow or other foreigh matter so that sand can be directly applied on top of the rail.